Drawbar carrier



July 28, 1953 J, c. TRAvlLLA, JR A2,646,895

DRAWBAR CARRIER Filed Nov. e, 1946 2 sheets-sheet 1 FIG 6,7 ..JAMES CTRAVILLA JR BY Q17 l u ATToRNEm` I ly 28, 1953 J. c. TRAVILLA, JR 2,646,895

DRAWBAR CARRIER d Filed Nov. e, 194e 2 sheets-sheet 2 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR- J AMES C .T RAVI LLA JR` BY M. IAT1-emitan Patented `uly 28 1.953

DRAWBAR CARRIER James C. Travilla, Jr., Swarthmore, Pa.,` Aassignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, Ill., a corporation .of Delaware AppucationNovember s, 1946, serial No. 708,073

l The invention relates to railway vehicles and more particularly to a railway vehicle underframe platform center sill structure including a coupler safety carrier.

The ,main object of the invention is to provide the platform center sill structure with anadequate safety carrier for the coupler` and piping associated therewith While maintaining the close relation between the coupler and piping which tends to prevent merely increasing the size of the carrier to make it as strong as desirable for the load which may be applied thereto. This requires adequate clearance for operating the piping valves as Well as clearance for the piping and provision of such clearance is another object of the invention.

These and other detail objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and drawings, inA which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a platform center sill casting for a railway vehicle underframe constructed according to the invention, the upper right hand corner being sectioned horizontally to show the coupler and coupler safety carrier more clearly.

Figure 2 is an end view and vertical section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken approximately on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figures 4, 5, 6 and '7 are longitudinal Vertical sections taken transversely of the safety carrier approximately on lines 4 4, 55, 6-6 and 'l-'I, respectively, of Figure 2.

Platform casting I comprises a buffer sill 2 at the forward end and a U-shaped safety coupler carrier IIJ integral with and depending from buffer sill 2 and having downwardly extending legs 3 and 4 and a horizontal cross bar 5. A coupler S having a head 'I and shank 8 is attached pivotally at its rear end to a draft gear (not shown) mounted on draft sills IB of the platform. Normally the coupler is supported by a floating carrier I2 suspended by bolts I3 from springs I4 seated on brackets I5 integral with the platform. This construction accommodates lateral, vertical and longitudinal movement of the coupler relative to the platform. A plurality of train pipes 9, for steam and air, are positioned below the coupler shank and are attached rigidly to it by brackets 8a.

The upper face 5a of cross bar 5 of coupler safety carrier l opposes the underside of coupler shank 8 but normally is spaced below the coupler shank. The right hand portion of the lower face b of cross bar 5 of coupler safety V7 Claims. (o1. Z13-61) "carrier Ill opposes pipes 9 but normally is spaced above the pipes. This lower face 5b is offset vertically between the ends of the safety carrier so that cross bar 5 is substantially deeper at one end. f The shallower end accommodates the train pipes as they move laterally, vertically and longitudinally with coupler 6.

Train pipes 9 have valves II with shut-off handles Il positioned beneath safety carrier I0. The lower face 5b of safetycarrier I0 opposing pipes 9 slopes upwardly from front to rear as shown in Figures 5, 6 and '7 to accommodate the valve handles in their closest approach to the safety carrier (see broken lines in Figure 3) which occurs when the coupler is lifted and moved forwardly the maximum amount and at the same time swings laterally the maximumV amount as shown in vFigure l. Henca this part of the carrier is characterized by a triangular cross section. The left hand end of horizontal portion 5 is not only deeper than the right hand portion, thus strengthening the cross bar throughout its entire length, but is square in cross section, thus further strengthening the cross bar (Figure 4).

Pipes 9 clear safety carrier I0 for any position of coupler 6 and in providing such clearance, the strength of the safety carrier is maintained. Valves I I may be operated conveniently with the coupler in any position.

It will be understood that the details of the structure may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of such modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

l. In a railway vehicle platform, sills arranged to receive a coupler shank between them, there being a rigid coupler carrier integral with said sills and substantially deeper throughout the portion adjacent one of said sills than it is throughout the portion adjacent the other of said sills.

2. A railway vehicle underframe member having a rigid coupler carrier of hollow cross section `comprising front and rear walls, a at substantially horizontal upper wall, and a lower wall offset vertically between the ends of the carrier to provide a relatively deep vertical portion for a substantial part of the length of the carrier and a relatively shallow vertical portion throughout the width of thercarrier for the remainder of the length of the carrier, the lower wall of the deep portion being substantially parallel to the upper wall to provide a substantially rectangular cross section, and the lower wall of the shallow portion sloping upwardly and rearwardly to provide a substantially triangular cross section.

3. In combination, a railway vehicle end framing provided with a coupler safety carrier extending transversely of the framing, the lower face of the carrier having portions spaced apart transversely of the framing and positioned at dierent levels, a coupler extending over said carrier, and train piping extending lengthwise of the coupler and at one side of the center thereof, means supporting the piping from the coupler end positioning the piping beneath said face portion at the higher level and above the level of the other said face portion.

4. In combination, a railway vehicle platform structure, a substantially U-shaped coupler carrier integral with said structure and depending therefrom, a coupler arranged for movement relative to said structure, a plurality of train pipes attached to said coupler and movable therewith, the upper face of the horizontal portion of the U-shaped carrier opposing said coupler being substantially horizontal, and the lower face being offset upwardly over said pipes to accommodate movement of the pipes with the coupler, and being oifset downwardly to one side of said pipes to aord adequate strength to support the load.

5. In a railway Vehicle underframe member, a rigid coupler carrier having a substantially level upper face for opposing the underside of a coupler shank and having a lower face oiset vertically substantially intermediate the ends of the carrier to provide a relatively shallow carrier part throughout the width of the carrier of sui'cient length to clear train piping suspended from the coupler shank, and to provide a relatively deep 6. In a railway vehicle underframe, spaced draft sills, a rigid coupler carrier with its ends xedly supported by said sills and being of substantially uniform width from sill to sill and having a vertical section substantially deeper throughout a portion of the length of the carrier than throughout the remainder of the length, said carrier having a substantially rectangular cross section throughout the deeper portion and having a substantially triangular cross section throughout the remainder of its length with one side of the triangular section forming a substantially level upper face for the carrier, another side of the triangular section forming a substantially vertical front face of the carrier, and the third side of the triangular section extending upwardly and rearwardly from the vertical face to the rear end of the upper face.

7. In combination, a railway vehicle underframe member, a coupler including a shank beneath said underframe, bracket structure extending downwardly and laterally away from said coupler shank, train piping extending longitudinally of the coupler shank and supported on said bracket structure, a `carrier rigid with said underirame member and having a section relatively shallow between said piping and coupler shank and only long enough to provide clearance for said piping and having a section relatively deeper vertically throughout the remainder of the length of the carrier to provide suii-cient strength for supporting the carrier load, the deeper section reenforcing the relatively shallower section.

JAMES C. TRAVILLA, JR.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

